Overview
- The government reported on Tuesday that the outbreak has 4,381 confirmed cases and 2,011 deaths, a case fatality rate of about 45.9 percent.
- Genetic sequencing shows transmission began in February and the outbreak, first declared on May 15, has spread from Ituri into multiple eastern and northeastern provinces.
- The virus is the rarer Bundibugyo species, which has no approved vaccines or treatments, so WHO has recommended testing the licensed Ervebo vaccine and Gavi has offered doses from the global stockpile to support trials.
- Teams say most new infections are occurring outside tracked contact lists and response work is severely constrained by fighting with armed groups, poor roads and strikes by unpaid health workers, which limits detection, isolation and care.
- This is the DRC's 17th recorded Ebola outbreak and its deadliest to date in the country, and key developments to watch are trial results for Ervebo, improvements in access for health teams, and whether surveillance can be rapidly scaled up.